Bambi II
Year: 2006
Director: Brian Pimental
Starring: Brendan Baerg, Andrea Bowen, Alexander Gould, Nicky Jones & Patrick Stewart
Runtime: 72 mins
BBFC: U
Published: 22/08/22
Director: Brian Pimental
Starring: Brendan Baerg, Andrea Bowen, Alexander Gould, Nicky Jones & Patrick Stewart
Runtime: 72 mins
BBFC: U
Published: 22/08/22
We’ve seen some very long gaps between sequels in Disney’s history, but sixty-four years I think is a cinematic record. Yes, in 2006 Bambi II was released direct to DVD, a midquel to the 1942 Animated Classic, Bambi, Disney’s fifth Animated Classic. I am entirely of the opinion that if it took sixty-four years to think of a way to return to Bambi then it probably wasn’t necessary, I mean there were people that were born after the original Bambi, lived a full life, and died of natural causes before this film came out. But to add insult to injury, Bambi II isn’t even a sequel, it’s yet another dreaded midquel. I went in with the lowest of the low expectations, which is why I found it so surprising that Bambi II was actually halfway decent.
Set in the immediate aftermath of Bambi’s mother’s (Carolyn Hennesy) death, Bambi II chronicles Bambi’s (Alexander Gould) life with his father, the Great Prince of the Forest (Patrick Stewart). The Great Prince tries to teach Bambi how to follow in his footsteps and become a powerful leader for the forest critters to admire and believe in, whilst also trying to find a suitable fawn to raise Bambi for the remainder of his childhood. Meanwhile Bambi faces his own difficulties as he learns to deal with the death of his mother, his growing feelings for Faline (Andrea Bowen), and his rivalry with Ronno (Anthony Gannam).
Set in the immediate aftermath of Bambi’s mother’s (Carolyn Hennesy) death, Bambi II chronicles Bambi’s (Alexander Gould) life with his father, the Great Prince of the Forest (Patrick Stewart). The Great Prince tries to teach Bambi how to follow in his footsteps and become a powerful leader for the forest critters to admire and believe in, whilst also trying to find a suitable fawn to raise Bambi for the remainder of his childhood. Meanwhile Bambi faces his own difficulties as he learns to deal with the death of his mother, his growing feelings for Faline (Andrea Bowen), and his rivalry with Ronno (Anthony Gannam).
When I found out that Bambi had a sequel, and it took place in the middle of the original film, I couldn’t possibly imagine what story there was to tell. But Bambi II surprised me by having a touching tale of father and son bonding.
It’s a well-known fact of nature that deer do not mate for life, and one buck will often be responsible for impregnating several doe. The fawn is then raised by the mother until it is old enough to fend for itself, and the buck is not present for raising the child. So, to flip that on its head for Bambi and have not just any buck, but the alpha, need to raise one of his offspring does actually make for an interesting story. Totally unrealistic, but this is a film about talking animals so we can only ride that train so far.
I had wished that the film spent more time allowing Bambi to come to terms with the death of his mother. There are fleeting moments that address it, and seeing him process this and understand why it happened is so great to see in a children’s film. But there’s not enough of it. I feel like the real meat of Bambi II could have been Bambi and his father working through the emotional turmoil of the mother’s death. Too dark for Disney? Considering they killed her off in the first place in one of the most traumatic moments in cinematic history I feel like taking the time to address the reality of death in a children’s film would have been a fantastic companion piece.
I wasn’t too keen on all the talking. Bambi had dialogue of course but there wasn’t a lot of it, and the real beauty of Bambi came from its beautiful art style. Bambi II doubles down on the dialogue and everyone has so much to say; what with Bambi II being the same length as the original as well, it feels bogged down with exposition and needless rambling at times. It’s even more noticeable because the way characters talk now has changed significantly, just because of how language has evolved over the six decades between films. However, the film does achieve a gorgeous aesthetic despite its significant modernisation of the animation. Bambi was one of the earliest Disney Animated Classics so the sixty-four-year technological leap was of course going to be noticeable, but I feel that DisneyToon Studios managed to remain faithful to the original whilst making it feel fresh for new audiences.
I enjoyed Bambi II a whole lot more than I expected to. It’s not one of the best Disney Animated Sequels, but it’s probably the best midquel in the entire straight to DVD history of Disney films. Despite not needing to exist, it feels as though it could slot right in, and as though it always belonged there. Fans of Bambi should be content with what the film has to offer, and really that’s the most important factor of making any sequel. Whilst a sixty-four-year gap between films wouldn’t work for the majority of film franchises, for Bambi it somehow worked wonderfully.
It’s a well-known fact of nature that deer do not mate for life, and one buck will often be responsible for impregnating several doe. The fawn is then raised by the mother until it is old enough to fend for itself, and the buck is not present for raising the child. So, to flip that on its head for Bambi and have not just any buck, but the alpha, need to raise one of his offspring does actually make for an interesting story. Totally unrealistic, but this is a film about talking animals so we can only ride that train so far.
I had wished that the film spent more time allowing Bambi to come to terms with the death of his mother. There are fleeting moments that address it, and seeing him process this and understand why it happened is so great to see in a children’s film. But there’s not enough of it. I feel like the real meat of Bambi II could have been Bambi and his father working through the emotional turmoil of the mother’s death. Too dark for Disney? Considering they killed her off in the first place in one of the most traumatic moments in cinematic history I feel like taking the time to address the reality of death in a children’s film would have been a fantastic companion piece.
I wasn’t too keen on all the talking. Bambi had dialogue of course but there wasn’t a lot of it, and the real beauty of Bambi came from its beautiful art style. Bambi II doubles down on the dialogue and everyone has so much to say; what with Bambi II being the same length as the original as well, it feels bogged down with exposition and needless rambling at times. It’s even more noticeable because the way characters talk now has changed significantly, just because of how language has evolved over the six decades between films. However, the film does achieve a gorgeous aesthetic despite its significant modernisation of the animation. Bambi was one of the earliest Disney Animated Classics so the sixty-four-year technological leap was of course going to be noticeable, but I feel that DisneyToon Studios managed to remain faithful to the original whilst making it feel fresh for new audiences.
I enjoyed Bambi II a whole lot more than I expected to. It’s not one of the best Disney Animated Sequels, but it’s probably the best midquel in the entire straight to DVD history of Disney films. Despite not needing to exist, it feels as though it could slot right in, and as though it always belonged there. Fans of Bambi should be content with what the film has to offer, and really that’s the most important factor of making any sequel. Whilst a sixty-four-year gap between films wouldn’t work for the majority of film franchises, for Bambi it somehow worked wonderfully.